What if Romeo and Juliet hadn’t died? Perhaps The Bard cut the story short? What if they lived happily ever after and had loads of children?

A very different take on the traditional story that we all know. Born nine months after the secret marriage of the not so ill fated lovers, this is the story of Rosaline. Named after the Rosaline of Romeo’s romantic interest, another daughter of fair Verona. Considered an aged virgin at all of twenty, this Rosaline is a determined young woman who gives short shrift to the numerous betrothals that her parents arrange. A woman not for marrying. That is until …

Amusing and witty, a unique view on what happened after the “deaths” of Romeo and Juliet. A quick and unusual read.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books.

*Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Publishing for sending me a digital copy to review*

If you love modern adaptations with a vibe similar to the TV show My Lady Jane and the movie Rosaline, this one is for you. Both A Daughter of Fair Verona and the movie Rosaline follow the same plot point, what if Romeo & Juliet didn’t die? Only in this book, Rosaline is not Juliet’s cousin but the oldest daughter of the star-crossed lovers.

Rosaline, aka Rosie, is the star of this book and has successfully managed to divert potential suitors to stay unwed. She values her independence and loves her family. Unfortunately, she gets betrothed to Duke Stephano, whose last three wives died under mysterious circumstances. On the night of her betrothal ball, fate or luck intervenes. She experiences love at first sight with a young man and her future husband is discovered dead with a dagger to the heart.

This book is a murder mystery with some romance. Rosie is inquisitive and is determined to clear her name in relation to the murder and figure out not only who killed the Duke but also uncover the mystery surrounding the demise of his wives.

I love a good mystery, throughout the book I was constantly trying to figure out who could have possibly done it and I ended up being very surprised which was great. The book includes the familiar characters of Romeo, Juliet, Friar Laurence & Nurse, who at times was Rosie’s partner in crime (so to speak) and was just badass when it came to protecting her charge. I loved the humour, I mentioned it is similar to that of the movie and both Rosalines are anything but damsels in distress.

As I was reading I thought it was a stand-alone book and was confused that it ended with the story unfinished. Turns out it is part of a series so I am excited to see how Rosie deals with the situation we see her fall into at the end.

Meet Rosie, the eldest daughter of Romeo and Juliet, showing the reader the real Verona, filled with romance, glamour and greed.
Our girl is strong, independant, quirky and competent. A matchmaker with a great sense of humor, accidently accused of murder.
This cosy historical mystery could be a Shakespearean stage play, funny and highly entertaining. It put a huge smile on my face.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC.

Entertaining novel set in the years after the famous Romeo and Juliet. This story begins with the premise that Romeo and Juliet did not die but went on to have a loving and large happy family. The story is full of humor, interesting characters and a bit of intrigue. Rosie who is 20 years old has been avoiding marriage and finds herself engaged to a man with a terrible reputation. Her engagement party is the beginning of a murder mystery that Rosie finds herself fully involved.

I think the novel wove enough humor, history and romance to give us a good read. I did enjoy the story and would read another. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review.

Clever concept, the characters were witty and the story was fun to listen to. I enjoyed it more before the murder mystery unfolded, would have liked it more if it was more of a pure rom com.

I like Rosie Montague. I like that Rosie Montague is an apothecary apprentice. I don't like Porcia. I wasn't sure who the killer was.

I loved this twist on the Romeo and Juliet story! Turns out, the infamous couple did not actually die, and instead went on to have a large and happy family. Their oldest daughter, Rosie, is a smart mouthed, clever girl of nearly 20 who has managed to avoid marriage right up until she learns she's to be betrothed at the beginning of this story. When her intended is murdered at their betrothal party, suspicion falls on Rosie. With the help of a charming cast of characters including Prince Escalus, her nurse, and the good friar who made Julie's sleeping draught so long ago, Rosie sets out to discover the real murderer. Along the way, Rosie falls in love at first sight with Lysander.

I'm so excited that this is just the beginning of future Verona stories, because the ending made me very, very happy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this fantastic book!

A creative extension of the famous tale of star-crossed lovers introduces us to an intrepid young woman fighting to make her way in life. Rosaline is witty, fierce and clever and meeting her was a joy.

The overall feel of the book was one of modern sentimentality, but the historical period was still central to the story. This gave me a sense of disjointedness at times and kept me from really sinking into the setting. The romantic machinations felt a bit strained and the mystery element was almost superfluous.

I think you’ll love the feisty heroine, and the creative story. Thank you to NetGalley, author and the publisher for my copies. These opinions are my own.

A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christine Dodd is my first 5 star read of the year!

It’s premise is based on “what if Romeo and Juliet didn’t die at the end,” a fresh and fun idea amongst the many Shakespearean retellings already on bookstore shelves. It’s an exciting page-turner full of twists, mystery, murder, passion, and of course drama that even rivals Shakespeare himself.

We follow the witty and clever Rosie, the eldest spinster daughter of Romeo and Juliet, who hates poetry, and can’t stand her parent’s unrequited love! She’s had plenty of betrothals, but she plays matchmaker with her suitors and their real soulmates, escaping unscathed and single. That is, until the dreadful Duke Stephano demands her hand and Romeo accepts an offer he dare not refuse, if he wants to keep his family alive.

A delicious scandal begins when Duke Stephano is found DEAD; stabbed in the heart in the lush Montague gardens the night of their “betrothal ball.” Oops? All of Verona hates this vile man, but when Rosie is accused of killing him all hell breaks loose.

The immersive setting is the same as the original Romeo and Juliet, in fair Verona, where houses of nobility duel and decisions are made with swords, wine, and even the occasional poisoning. Dodd’s descriptive and smart writing make you feel like you are right there in the midst of all the action and depths of suspense. In fact, I am proper jealous of Rosie’s balcony, the climbing tree, the beautiful Montague gardens, and mouthwatering foods.

This book is the definition of a page turner as every chapter ends on a cliffhanger. You’re solving the mystery alongside intelligent Rosie, hilarious Nurse (Juliet’s previous nurse), Friar Lawrence, and the rest of the characters. With such a fast-paced plot, you might expect that there’s no time for characterization.

But, you’re wrong just like Porsche was when she accused Rosie of murder and the conniving Prince Escalus ran his hand up Rosie’s leg. Every character has depth and carries emotion, even all of Rosie’s little siblings.

I highly recommend ‘A Daughter of Fair Verona’ to anyone who adores Romeo and Juliet, or Leo DiCaprio and Clare Danes from the 1996 film; at least that’s what I was dreaming of in my head. Dodd surprised me with this one, I wasn’t expecting to get so deep into this story. It makes for a perfect mystery romance read that will make a permanent home in your heart and leave you longing for more. Good news! This is the first book in a Dodd’s new series ‘Daughter of Montague.’

The story itself was quite interesting. Set in a historical context, it presents an alternate narrative where Romeo and Juliet survive and have numerous children. The plot centers on their eldest daughter. Now at the age of 20 and still a virgin—a point emphasized perhaps too frequently—she hesitates to marry, not wanting to leave her family. However, when her fiancé is murdered at their betrothal party, she is accused of the crime, and a quest to uncover the true culprit ensues.

While the modern tone of the dialogue felt out of place for a historical novel, the overall story and mystery were engaging. I found this book much more entertaining while listen to it than to physically read.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

Shakespeare inspired stories, and maybe even more particularly Romeo and Juliet adjacent stories are catnip for me, so this story about one of Romeo and Juliet's daughters (in this version, they lived!) was an easy sell. I really enjoyed it- it's got a great sense of humor, incorporates charming nods to the inspiration, and has a solid plot. I will absolutely be following this series.

A daughter of Fair Verona is a rom com with the idea of Romeo and Juliet not dying but now married for real with 7+ children. Rosie is the oldest at age 20 when she could be considered a true spinster and cunning at her ripe old age. She has managed to change her previous betrothals to find their true love and marry…not her. The story becomes complicated when her present bretrothed dies in the garden during her engagement party. She of course was relieved as she really didn’t want to marry him. The story includes murders, mayhem and hijinks. Definitely a rom com, perhaps a bit unbelievable and it ends on a cliffhanger. Just relax, and enjoy the ride because Christina Dodd always write a good story.

ARC Review: Publish Date 6/25/24
Thank you Net Galley for letting me read more books!

DNF at 7%

The time keeps to canon Romeo & Juliet but the slang and modern dialogue do not. We start with Rosie (yes, short for Rosaline), an “old hag” at 20, their oldest daughter (born when Juliet was 13!) who doesn’t want to get married, but Romeo & Juliet, the only folks with real romantic love apparently, sell her off to a bad man that murders wives for free because their rep might take a blow. WHAT? And when Romeo farted to lighten the mood…twice…I cannot. Not for me. Shakespeare is crying somewhere.

Christina Dodd does it again! She combined humor and a murder mystery to make a great read, setting it in the world of a rewrite of Romeo and Juliet. The characters were fun, the dialogue entertaining and the murderer a total surprise. I have enjoyed her books for years and this is further confirmation of her creative talent. I hope there is another book coming in this line as there was a bit of a cliffhanger at the end that I would like to see resolved.
#netgalley

This book was told from the perspective of Rosaline Montegue, the 20 year old spinster daughter, Romeo and Juliet (who didn't die after all), and the oldest of their 7 children. "Rosie" is betrothed to a much older Duke Stephano, who has had 3 previous wives - who have all died under mysterious circumstances. On the night of their betrothal ball, Rosie meets the love of her life - Lysander- and later stumbles across the corpse of the Duke who has a dagger embedded in his chest. Now there are many at the ball who would wish him dead, but it does seem that Rosie had something to do with it as she was a reluctant bride to be.
This book was aa lot of fun to read especially when we see that Romeo and Juliet are still madly in love with each other and have a close knit family. I loved the scenes in their residence - both charming and sometimes funny. I t was interesting to see how Prince Escalus of Verona intervened at times to smooth over the rough spots in the tale. The mystery was solved with an unexepected villian but with a good reason.
I highly recommend this clever, funny and suspenseful romantic novel with an ambiguous ending...and a promise of a second book in the series.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Press and the opinions expressed are my own.

First of all I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for giving me the oportunity for reviewing this book.
This author was completely new to me and I have to admit that I immensely enjoyed the story.

Not only the title but the blurb already got my attention. And let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed.

The telling was quite funny, I very much liked the heroine Rosie, although the dialogs were from Shakespearean era, her thoughts were quite modern language.I chuckled all the time.

That made the tale truly entertaining and refreshing.

This book was a unique kind of historical thriller meets romantic comedy, I very much enjoyed reading.

I really want to like this book so bad considering the intriguing storyline in which Romeo and Juliet didn't die and live happily ever after. But I find a lot of things are quite uncomfortable to read.

What if Romeo and Juliet really didn’t die? In the wild imagination of Christina Dodd that’s exactly the case and Rosie Montague and A Daughter of Fair Verona is the result. This novel is delightful and charming. A little bit history, a lot murder, and a completely modern sensibility makes this one of the most fun books I’ve read this year.

I love the idea of Romeo and Juliet not actually dying but living and having a huge family. Rosalyn (Rosie) is practical and contributes to her family in ways they don’t necessarily recognize.
I enjoyed reading A Fair Daughter of Verona. My standard wasn’t strict as I suspect that some wording choices weren’t true to the time period.
I liked the narrator. The mystery is well crafted. I like all the characters.
The ending was interesting. I think it definitely sets up for an additional book, and it looks like this is a new series.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and listen to this book.